The melody of "My Boo" is rooted in R&B, and the chorus has an extremely strong hook and emotional tension, destined to become a classic R&B duet track.
During recording breaks, Landon also had more interactions with this talented mixed-race singer, who was only a year older than himself.
Alicia Keys told him that she was already preparing her debut album, and she was handling the songwriting and composition for the entire album herself.
She even generously revealed that she had already written over thirty songs and was struggling to select the most suitable works to form the album.
He saw that she had lived in a poor Black residential area with her mother since childhood and had been chasing her musical dreams since the age of five.
Seeing the pure and fiery light shining in Alicia's eyes when she talked about music, and listening to the melodic fragments she hummed casually, Landon felt a surge of sincere admiration.
To the outside world, Landon Williams was a peerless genius who appeared out of nowhere, excelling in songwriting, composition, and singing, with his debut single going straight to the top of the Billboard charts.
But only he knew that behind his genius was a gift from the future.
People like Alicia Keys were the true chosen ones, with creative flames bursting from the depths of their souls, creating their own styles single-handedly.
He was well aware of the gap between himself and these truly original geniuses.
This realization did not discourage him; instead, it became an incentive.
He had to make better use of this "gift," working harder to learn and absorb the skills and inspiration of the top musicians of this era. He needed to truly transform those future classics into Landon Williams' irreplaceable artistic expression.
In the recording studio late at night, the slightly sad yet sweet melody of "My Boo" played over and over again.
Landon and Alicia Keys stood before the microphones behind the soundproof glass, repeatedly polishing the vocal harmonies of the second verse.
Their voices intertwined; Alicia's agile riffs supported Landon's stable and emotional lead, sounding quite perfect already.
Zoe sat on the sofa in the corner of the control room, holding a notebook, but her ears involuntarily captured everything in the recording booth.
She keenly noticed that over the past few days, the way Alicia Keys looked at her boss had undergone some changes.
It was no longer just a professional partner's appreciation for a talented peer; there was a hint of curiosity, a spark of affection sparked by the music, and sometimes even a girl-like shyness and anticipation.
Especially when singing those deeply affectionate lyrics, Alicia's gaze would unconsciously drift toward Landon, her eyes sparkling.
But what about her boss? Zoe curled her lip.
Landon seemed completely immersed in the "always be my boo" vibe of the song, with only the emotions expressed by the lyrics in his eyes. Toward this talented and obviously interested beautiful singer by his side, he actually behaved like a "work-first" insulator.
Alicia had several times initiated light topics outside of music, or tried slight fingertip touches when handing him water during breaks, but all were fended off by Landon with a polite smile and a focused discussion on how to sing the next part of the song.
"I really don't know if he's truly oblivious or just playing dumb," Zoe muttered to herself.
However, she wasn't worried that anything would actually happen between Landon and Alicia.
She felt that while Alicia was certainly beautiful, with an intellectual and spiritual temperament, she didn't seem to be Landon's preferred type.
This had nothing to do with skin color—Zoe clearly remembered that once, when Landon accidentally saw a hot and incredibly sexy photo of Mariah Carey from a couple of years ago, his eyes went straight, and he whispered, "Now that's the power a 'Butterfly' should have."
Zoe rolled her eyes at the time, thinking that if given the chance, this guy would definitely find a way to trick a sexy diva of that caliber into his hands.
But now, facing the equally talented and exceptionally beautiful Alicia, Landon was being remarkably well-behaved.
They had worked together for several days, and aside from the music, there wasn't a single extra spark.
Zoe even thought with a bit of mischief: if Alicia were a bit bolder and more direct, would her never-exactly-honest boss still be as unromantic as he was now?
Her thoughts drifted and somehow wandered back to last night.
Last night, after Landon finished recording, he went straight to Jennifer Connelly's hotel room.
Zoe was in her own room at the time, and various sounds made her unable to stop imagining: what kind of plot was it last night?
Which movie script did Jennifer bring out this time?
Zoe remembered seeing "the hot rock" starring Jennifer before; it was a retro adventure film about a pilot... Could it be?
Her cheeks suddenly felt a bit hot, and she instinctively lowered her head, pretending to look seriously at her schedule.
In the control room, the recording engineer and producer were focused on the voices coming from the speakers; no one noticed the blush and distracted expression on the pretty assistant's face.
In Zoe's currently uncontrollable mental theater, last night's plot had been adapted by her based on the original "the hot rock" and the personalities of Landon and Jennifer, becoming unrecognizable yet "perfectly logical":
In the story, Landon played Billy, a stunt pilot working at an airport, and Jennifer was naturally his girlfriend, Jenny, who dreamed of becoming a star.
But the opening was very exciting—Jennifer also "guest-starred" as a sexy and dangerous female mob member who stole an advanced rocket pack from Howard Hughes' factory!
An FBI agent (also "guest-starred" by Landon) pursued her relentlessly, and a fiery capture scene played out at a small airport, accompanied by intense physical confrontation and heavy breathing.
After the female mob member was captured, facing the FBI agent's threats and bribes, or even a "beating," she gritted her teeth and refused to talk.
The best part was that she actually used her bright red lips to firmly block the agent's mouth as he tried to question her!
(Zoe's face got even hotter; this "silencing" method was truly unique).
It turned out she had hidden the dangerous rocket pack inside a plane long before she was caught.
Later, this rocket pack was accidentally discovered by our protagonist, Billy [played by Landon].
His curiosity piqued, he moved the rocket pack, unknowingly becoming embroiled in great danger.
That beautiful and deadly female mob member who had escaped the FBI's control was now hunting him down!
Meanwhile, Billy went to the movie set to visit his girlfriend, Jenny [played by Jennifer], but clumsily caused a small accident.
Although it didn't cause much damage, it resulted in Jenny being fired by the crew.
The two had a big argument because of this, and a rift appeared in their relationship. As for how to express the "rift"?
A slightly comical sound effect popped into Zoe's head: "Pop!"—like two tightly pressed suction cups being pulled apart with force?
Of course, the real "the hot rock" movie was long, but according to the simple and crude adaptation style of Jennifer Connelly, the plot had to be condensed and merged.
Thus, the FBI agent and the stunt pilot Billy were "merged into one," and the female mob member and the actress Jenny were also "merged into one."
The relationship suddenly became much more complex and exciting: friends and foes, police and thief, and emotional entanglements!
The final scene, in Zoe's imagination, was full of nonsensical passion:
The mob forces and government agencies somehow became friends, joining hands to fight a common enemy—the Nazis?
The bad guys worked hard to steal back the rocket pack, putting it on triumphantly, ready to soar into the sky.